The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1887-06-23

| ing; yonder the flag steamer Benton, Adj
miral Foote commanding; yonder the
| flagship Hartford, David Glascoe Farra-
| gut commanding. And now all the squad.
| rons Of all departments, from smallest
tug-boat to mightiest man. of-war, are in
| process sion; decks and rigging filed with
| the men who fought on the sea for the
old flag ever since we were a nation.
Grandest feet the world ever saw. Sail
on before all agesi Run up all 1.-THE colorsi
Ring all the bellsl Yea, open all the
port-holesl Unlimber the guns and load
and fire one great broadside that shall
shake the continents in honor of peace
and the eternity Of the American Union |
But lift my hand and the scene has van.
ished. Many of the ships have dropped
| under the crystal pavement of the deep
sea, monsters swimming in and out the
forsaken cabin, and other old craft have
swung into the navy yards, and many of
the brave spirits who trod their decks are
gone up to the eternal fortress, from
whose classmates and embrasures may
we not hope they look down to-day with
joy upon a Nation in reunited brother
hooda
At this animal commemoration 1 be-
think that most Of you who were in the
naval service during our late war are
now in the afternoon or evening Of life.
With some of you it is two o'clock, three
O'Clock, four o'clock, six o'clock, and it
will soon be shutdown. IL you were Of
age when the war broke out you are now
at least forty eight. Many of you have
passed into the sixties and seventies;
therefore it is appropriate that hold two
great lights for your illumination-the
example OF Christian AdmiraIs consecrat-
ed to Christ and their country, Admiral
Foote and Admiral Farragut Had the
Christian religion been a cowardly thing
they would have had nothing to do with
1t. In its faith they lived and died. In
our Brooklyn Navy-yard Admiral
Foote held prayer meetings and con-
Quoted revival on the receiving
ship North Carolina, and on Sabbath, far
out at sea, followed the chaplain with
religious exhortation. In early life on
board the .sloop-of-war Natchez, impressed
by the words of a sailor, he gave his spare
time for two weeks to the Bible, and, at
the end OF that, declared openly: s'Hence-
forth, under all circumstances will act
for God.n His last words, while dying at
the Aston House, New York, were: 81
thank God for all his goodness to me- He
has been very good to me-" When he en-
tered Heaven he did not have to run
blockade, for it was amid the cheers of a
great welcome. The other Christian Ad.
miral will be honored until the day when
the fires from above shall hex up the
waters from beneath, and there shall be
no more sea.
Oh, while old oceans breast
Bears white sail,
And Gods stars to rest
Guide through the gale,
Men will him nee forget
Old hearts of oak.
Farragut, Farragut,
Thunderbolt strokei
According to his own statement, Farra.
gut was very loose in his morals in early
manhood. and practiced all kinds of sin,
One day he was called into the cabin of
his father, who was shipmaster. His
father said:
'David, what are you going to be, any.
howl"
He answered:
81 am going to follow the sea-,
"Follow the sea-" said the father, s'and
be kicked about the world and Idle in a
foreign hospitalf''
"No," said David, II am going to COM
mand. like you"
'No," said the father, ga boy of your
habits will never command any thing.n
and his father burst into tears and left
the cabin.
From that day David Farragut started
on new life. Captain Pennington, an
honored elder Of this church, was with
him in most Of his battles and had his in
innate friendship, and he confirms, what
l had heard elsewhere, that Farragut was
good and Christian. In every great crisis
OF life he asked and obtained the
divine direction. When IN Mobile
bay, the monitor Tecumseh sunk from
torpedo, and the great war ship Brooklyn,
thatwas.to lead the squadron, turned back,
he said he was at loss to know whether
to advance or retreat, and he says:
II prayed: %, God who created man
and gave him reason, direct what to do
Shall go ont And voice commanded
me: go on And went on.n
Was there ever more touching Chris.
tian letter than that which he wrote to
his wife from his flagship Hartford
MY DEAREST WITE-I write and leave this
letter for you. am going into Mobile Bay in
the morning. If God Ii my leader, and hope he
is, and In him place my trust. II he thinks il
Is the proper place for me to die I am ready to
submit to his will in that as In all other things
God bless and preserve you, my darling, and
Aay OcaT poys IA any tulug SnOulu happen TO me.
May his blessings rest upon you, and your
dear mother, and all your sisters and their
children.
Cheerful to the end, he said, on board
the Tallapoos q, in the last voyage he ever
took:
"It would be well If died now, in har
ness.n
The sublime Episcopal service for the
dead was never more appropriately read
than over his casket, and we'll did all the
forts Of New York harbor thunder as his
body was brought to our wharf, and well
did the minute guns sound and the bells
toll as in procession having in its ranks
the President of the United States and
his Cabinet, and the mighty men of land
and sea, the old Admiral was carried
amid hundreds Of thousands of uncov-
cred heads on Broadway, and laid on his
pillow OF dust in beautiful Woodlawn,
September 80, amid the pomp Of our au-
tumnal forests.
Ye veterans who fought and sailed un-
der him, take your Admiraa8 God and
Christ for your God and Christ. After a
few more conflicts you, too, will rest.
For the few remaining fights with sin and
death and hell make ready. Strip your
vessel for the fray; hang the sheet chains
over the side; send down the topgallant
unaafes harriaodo thu xubao1. a.